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In Pictures: Behind the scenes at Johnstons of Elgin

Behind the gates and pristine garden of a 200-year-old grand country house, Johnstons of Elgin cashmere and woollen mill is bringing one of Scotland’s longest-running luxury industries to the forefront of contemporary fashion

The wool store at Johnstons of Elgin mill, where more than 10 tonnes of raw fibre delivered to its wool store every Tuesday. Bales of wool and cashmere, harvested primarily in rural China and Inner Mongolia, line the walls and sit on towering shelves alongside bales of Johnston of Elgin’s signature fibre, tobacco-coloured vicuña.

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During a tour of the mill, it becomes clear that the cashmere process hasn’t changed much in 200 years. But the turnover of wool and cashmere in the mill is astounding.

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Wool fibres are checked by hand, as a part of the mill's quality control processes, to ensure only the highest standard of fibre is used to create Johnstons of Elgin's luxury cashmere clothes and accessories.

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The first process for the raw fibre is dyeing. The mill has a colour library of more than 6,500 shades from natural dyes dating from the early 19th century, so the possibilities of creating colours are almost endless.

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Once dyed and dried, the fibres are fed into pipes leading to two enormous chambers. Here they are mixed to create the desired type and colour blends.

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The fibre is then combed on a series of giant rollers and spun into yarn. This is then transferred to the mill’s yarn store.

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Once spun into yarn, the colourful thread is stored in the mill’s yarn store, which is filled with bobbins wrapped in all manner of vivid colours and hues.

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It is not until the yarn is transferred to the mill’s warping and weaving looms that the textile begins to take shape.

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Checks and jacquard designs carefully monitored by the mill’s expert craftsmen and women who operate the looms by hand and foot pedal.

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Once woven, the material goes through an extensive finishing process. First it is washed with soft Scottish water; then it is scoured over rollers made of hundreds of teasels, a dried, prickly plant head, giving the cashmere its luxuriously soft finish.

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Some of the most meticulous processes take place at the end of the manufacturing process. In a factory building just yards away from the 200-year-old Johnston family home, a small army of men and women hand finish luxurious accessories.

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The former Johnston family home nearby now houses the mill’s vast archives, with tartans, tweeds and cashmere colour blends stored in a grand library of sample books, carefully preserved to inspire future designs.

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The unique mix of history, community and passion is evident throughout Johnstons of Elgin, alongside the pride that is felt by its workers. For more than 220 years, this unassuming community in the Scottish Highlands has been playing an integral part in the luxury textiles industry.

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Founded in 1797, Johnstons of Elgin is Scotland’s second-oldest family business. Today the brand is still one of the most prominent cashmere and woollen mills in the world, creating luxuriously soft collections of ready-to-wear pieces and accessories. At its mill in Elgin, in the Highlands of Scotland, hundreds of local craftsmen and women work together, following centuries-old techniques and practices that make Johnstons of Elgin cashmere among the best in the world.